Clock Strikes 12
by Wandering7Doctors
Summary: The 11th Doctor regenerates into the 12th Doctor. Clara struggles to get used to a new man carrying the name of her dear friend while they both face a threat that might mean the end of this beginning in the Doctor's life if he doesn't figure out how the new one works.
1. The 12th Doctor

_"I'll always remember when I was the Doctor."_ The Doctor said the words, each syllable, like it were his last. He then took off his bow tie, the truest article of clothing he ever wore, and watched it cascade to the floor of the Tardis.

Clara watched in horror as the yellow-gold energy of regeneration spread over The Doctor's body. She protested but all he did was smile. A smile that belonged to a person at peace, a smile few have earned at the end.

And without warning, the Doctor changed.

This was different, no overwhelming energy needed to channel the cycle. The Time Lords had given him a new cycle, a fresh start. Things are always quickest at the beginning.

In an instant, the Doctor was a new man. Same clothes but he was now slightly taller. He was an older man with grey hair, an aged face, and fierce eyes that seemed to look through a person.

He stared at Clara, leaning in very close, as though he were trying to remember an old friend and understand the stranger who had appeared before him at the same time. Clara was silent, her eyes wide.

They were seeing each other for the first time and neither of them knew how to handle the situation.

Suddenly the Doctor lurched back as something sparked within him.

"KIDNEYS!" He screamed in a slight Scottish-like accent. "I've got new kidneys. I don't the color." He said bitterly.

"Of your kidneys?" Clara asked nervously. This wasn't her Doctor anymore, this man was a stranger. A stranger with the Doctor's knowledge and skills. A truly terrifying force to face.

The Tardis lurched violently, forcing them both to stagger for their lives.

"What's happening?" Clara asked.

"We're probably crashing." The Doctor said as he pressed buttons on the console of the Tardis, but they seemed to have very little effect.

Clara couldn't believe how disastrously things were going. Not only had she lost her best friend, she was now stuck with a strange man and the Tardis was now in a sudden death spiral for some unholy reason.

"Keep calm." The Doctor muttered as he continued to work on the Tardis' controls. "Oi, just one question. Do you happen to know how to fly this thing?"

And like that Clara knew things were very bad.

But things had to get better, right?

I mean, how could it possibly get worst?


	2. Getting to know you

The Tardis spun about in space, lost, unsure, and with an equally confused pilot. The Doctor banged about on the console of the Tardis to get something to work. Clara watched helplessly as the Doctor tried to make the Tardis work for him.

"Why can't you remember?" Clara said.

"New head," the Doctor muttered. "New head, new brain, the information has to get used to the head to work! I just wished my head carried a sense of URGENCY!" He kicked the Tardis console and was about to fall backwards before he caught the railing.

Now there was no one flying the Tardis.

"I don't understand." Clara said.

"Well of course you don't, you don't even know how to fly the bloody ship!"

"Not that," Clara snapped, amazed that she had actually got angry at the Doctor. "I mean how can't your head have a sense of urgency? How is this not urgent!?"

"Probably because we're about to crash," The Doctor said as he slammed a button the console. "At least I learned how to set the shield. By the way, you might want to hold on tighter."

Clara wanted to argue but didn't know how. She irritably accepted the Doctor's command. What bothered her was the fact that the Doctor didn't say where they were crashing.

There was a brutal collision that shook the whole Tardis. Amazingly, there wasn't that much damage, not even a spark of electrical disturbance. However, there was also nothing to tell if the Doctor or Clara were anywhere safe.

The cold look on the Doctor's face said otherwise.

"Your name."

"What?" Clara asked.

"Your name, tell me your name."

"Clara," She said. "Clara Oswald."

"Listen to me very carefully, Clara," the Doctor said. "We have a gang of smugglers outside that door. We go out looking like we're in the mood for a fight, they'll gun us down in one. The only thing that'll save us is to be taken prisoner."

"What!?"

"They'll want the ship, all the parts of it anyway. But they won't get in. So they'll interrogate us. Stay strong while I figure out a plan."

Clara was really starting to dislike this Doctor.

"Do you have your sonic screwdriver?"

The Doctor grimaced as he pulled a now busted screwdriver.

"Trashed in the regeneration burst." The Doctor said as he tossed it aside.

"Perfect," Clara sighed but suddenly thought of something. "You remember regeneration."

"Ai, the heads gettin' a handle on the information," the Doctor said. "Won't be much longer. We'll get out of this, Clara, trust me." the Doctor smiled as he said this.

Of all things the new one had to have it was that smile, Clara thought to herself, the smile that convinced her everything would be alright. But this wasn't her Doctor, did the smile carry the same promise?

She could only hope so, hope that her faith in the Doctor was not wasted. The Doctor was always able to do the impossible.

She only hoped this Doctor carried on that impressive legacy.


	3. Pleasant Greetings

Clara wished there were fewer times that the Tardis door opened to danger.

Luckily the Doctor didn't seem bothered by the sudden peril.

As the door opened, the Doctor yanked Clara out of the Tardis and shut the door with the snap of his fingers. In front of them were three men with salvaged weaponry that looked incredibly deadly.

"We surrender." The Doctor said as he held up his hands and nudged Clara to do the same.

"How very kind of you, sir," one the smugglers said. "Now step away from the vessel."

He gestured where they needed to go and the two travelers obeyed. He then nodded to one of the smugglers who produced a pair of brass restraints that he put the Doctor and Clara into. He then motioned for the other smuggler to open the ship. The third man pushed on the door with his hand, shoulder, and finally tried to kick it before he howled in pain.

"Perhaps you should try asking nicely." The Doctor said.

The lead smuggler snarled as he pointed his rifle at the Doctor's head.

"Open it," he growled.

"Can't," the Doctor said. "Problem with the door. You're certainly welcome to get it open if you can."

"Might make it easier on us if we had the key." the lead smuggler said.

"Lost it," the Doctor said. "Hence the problem with the door. Misplaced it when I changed. I might need to get some new threads though, it's a bit tight in this getup."

"Don't worry, we'll manage." The smuggler said. "In the meantime, let's get on a first-name basis. My name is Dreg, captain of this vessel, Scarab IIIV, so what do they call you?"

"Foreman," the Doctor said. "Ian Michael Foreman, master of the mobile phone."

Clara looked at the Doctor with wide eyes. Was that his name?!

"Very nice to meet you, Mr. Foreman."

"Actually I prefer the first letters of my first and middle name."

"…Very well, I.M. Foreman," Dreg said as he rolled his eyes. "So who's she? Girlfriend?" he sneered.

"Granddaughter actually," the Doctor said as he stood closer to Clara. "And I'm very protective."

Clara truly couldn't understand this Doctor, now he called her his granddaughter. Things were getting stranger and stranger.

"Fine," the Dreg said. "You'd do well to keep a close eye on her then. Well, as captain, I have ordained a lovely little cell where you and your granddaughter will remain safe and sound while we take only what we need from your ship. We will not trouble you anymore so long as you don't attempt to trouble us. Understood?"

"Perfectly," the Doctor said. "Well, captain, you have a lot of work to do, best get us to our cell so you can get to work."

Dreg nodded and had one of his men guide the Clara and the Doctor to their new cell. As they walked, the Doctor made quick glances in every direction, eyeing every corridor worker and the restraints.

They were 'gently' shoved into a cell where the smuggler made sure to demonstrate that the safety on his rifle was off should they feel inclined to even knock on the walls before he shut the door.

They waited several minutes before speaking in a whisper.

"There's no camera or communication device," the Doctor said. "We're safe so long as we don't tap the walls."

"I assume you have a plan, _Grandfather_?" Clara muttered.

"I have pieces of a plan," the Doctor said. "That's all a plan is really, pieces of ideas stuck together in a way that makes sense. Now all we need is to take time to piece it all together."

Clara wanted to argue more but the Doctor was silent. He squatted on the ground despite the grime, closed his eyes, and started to think. Clara realized that this Doctor was different, while her Doctor would listen this one would shut her out at times. The only reason she allowed it was because of the two of them, the Doctor was the only one who could get the out of this situation.

She only hoped he hurried up. It was bad enough to be stuck in a room with him even when he wasn't talking.

And so she waited

And so the Doctor began to plan

And so Dreg and his crew started their feeble attempt to enter the Tardis.

But while they all went about their activities, something in the shadows made its way over to the ship. The commander of the shadowy vessel smiled.

Fresh prey at last.


	4. A Stranger Arrives

"We got something on radar." A smuggler in the cargo hold said.

"Leave it be, Dreg's already got his hands full with that blue box." Riley the medical doctor said.

"I don't think we have an option," the smuggler muttered. "It's flying right towards us."

Riley had gotten too used to traveling with the other smugglers to not appreciate when something was worth noticing. He got up from his chair and went over to the scanner the smuggler was using. Indeed, there was a large black mass hurtling towards space.

"What does the scans say?" Riley said, now interested.

"Not much," the smuggler said with a shrug. "No heat or energy coming from it, but if I put on the metal scanner..."

He flicked a switch and suddenly there was a layer of metal on the entire vessel, a literal treasure trove.

"Wow," Riley said. "Dreg's going to love this. Well, what are you waiting for? Open the cargo bay."

The smuggler looked at Riley, nodded, the idea of treasure on their minds, as he opened the doors with a button.

The black chunk of treasure swooped through the opening. It clunked on the floor, skidding along, before it stopped in the perfect position to be salvaged.

"Get the torches," Riley said. "We're busting that thing open."

It took no time to carve the object open. Metal plates clunked to the floor coated in space trash and a bizarre liquid that glued the construct together. Everything seemed to have come off but they found something else, something thin and black.

A body bag.

It was damp, black, and the strangest thing was that the zipper for it seemed to be on the inside not the outside.

"That's strange," the smuggler said. "How did they zip it up from the inside out?"

"No clue," Riley said. "There might be some kind of infection, we should toss it out. Get the cargo doors open. I'll sterilize it."

The smuggler nodded as he made his way over to the console. Riley went to grab his surgical kit. There biggest mistake was to take their eyes off the bag.

Riley had found his bag in the corner of the room, opened it up to get his disinfection equipment and turned to see a now empty bag. He felt several sharp stabs in the neck before he could call out and then Riley couldn't feel anything at all.

"You finished cleaning the thing, Riley?" the smuggler said.

"Yeah," Riley said. "Take a look."

The smuggler thought there was something wrong with Riley's voice but decided to ignore it and see what was going on. It seemed odd that there wasn't even a burning smell from sterilizing of contaminated objects. It wasn't until he saw Riley's feet behind of one the metal plates that he ran over. Riley was dead and surprisingly pale.

He felt a tap on his shoulder that turned into five sharp digs into his flesh. He was too shocked to speak but managed to turn his head, but still couldn't make sense with what he was seeing. It should have been impossible.

"Unfortunately, I can't really explain, not that it matters," the figure said, smiling at the smuggler with an exact duplicate of Riley's face with longer black hair. "All you need to know is that your blood goes towards a good cause, my survival. I know that it seems petty but in the long, you may find it in your cold dry heart to understand. Or don't, either way it is done."

The smuggler's eyes rolled to the back of his head as the false Riley lowered his body to the ground. He moved the body so that it was not touching the grime from the vessel and made sure it was presentable, out of respect.

"It's always a shame when they don't see it coming," the false Riley said as he stood. "Well, I wonder who else is good to eat around here."


	5. A Promise

"Something's wrong." The Doctor said as he stood up.

"What's that?" Clara said, surprised after so much silence.

"I said something's wrong, open your bloody ears." The Doctor muttered.

"I understood what you said," Clara sighed. "What I meant was what exactly is wrong?"

"Not sure," The Doctor said as he gawked at the restraints. "I just can't see as many heartbeats anymore."

"Do you honestly have no clue as to how strange you sound?"

"Everyone sounds strange to someone else when speaking their minds," The Doctor said as he shifted his hands around in the restraints. "If we agreed all the bloody time, no questions asked, can you imagine how idiotically dull the whole bleedin' Universe would be? It'd be slower than snail Bingo in molasses."

Clara debated whether she preferred silence over the complete lunacy that bubbled out of this Doctor's lips. The way he babbled about seeing kidneys and heartbeats, calling himself her grandfather, and finding no end of methods to royally tick her off. She never had these problems with _her_ Doctor. Why did so little of him remain in the next one, all they had in common was a name.

"You miss him, don't you?"

Clara was pulled out of her thoughts as she looked upon the Doctor, his fierce eyes softer than she remembered. Before she could speak up the Doctor cut in.

"We don't forget the others," The Doctor said while he shuffled his wrists in the locks. "13 faces, same name, same cleverness, but different personalities. Like brothers all sharing the same suit in a matter of speakin'. I met the lad in the split second before I arrived. Seemed kind of nice. I figured you must have been a good friend of his."

Clara was silent, but it felt nice to know that the other Doctor wasn't completely gone. And the way the older man spoke of the 11th Doctor, he actually seemed to have a heart behind that calculated grumpy exterior. The Doctor seemed to notice Clara's deduction and smile.

"I made a silent promise to that lad, Clara, that I would do my best to complete his mission, our mission. To find our home and bring it back to the stars but also to make sure that no matter what happens, you'll be safe. The rest of us in here agree. We've lost too many…"

The sadness in the Doctor's eyes was different. He was still new but carried the guilt of all his previous incarnations, so much heartbreak that strained even the combined strength of two hearts. However, the Doctor also carried something that had almost been lost to the Time War. He had rekindled that spark of hope, the spark that inspired the Doctor to become cleverer than any threat and brave enough to face certain doom a thousand times over. These strengths have increased with each incarnation, which lead to him, the 12th Doctor, the one who could represent the best in all the Doctor's. He could be the one to make what started as a downward spiral of despair into arguably one of the greatest stories of redemption and hope ever seen in all of time and space.

The Doctor smiled, ready for the challenge.

"If you'll trust me, Clara, I would wish to continue that fantastic promise of showing everything out there in the stars that my brother started, if you'll let me."

And so the choice was left up to Clara. There was never really any doubt she would follow the Doctor to the bitter end, she'd certainly done worst for him. What Clara came to realized was that it wasn't a matter of accepting that she'd go along but that she understood why she had to. It was because she also had a promise to keep. To stay by the Doctor's side, to help him no longer be alone in the dark of space, to help him find his place in the universe just as she had found hers standing by his side. This wasn't just for _her_ Doctor, but for all of them. It was time she truly found her faith in the brilliant Doctor who now stood before her.

"Okay then," Clara said as she held out her hands in an awkward attempt at a handshake. "Let's finish what he started, what you started, together."

The Doctor grinned.

"I couldn't ask for a better companion," The Doctor said as he took her hands in his. "Thank you, Clara."

"You're welcome," Clara said. "Mind you, I expect to no longer hear any combination of granddaughter and grandfather when it comes to us. Agreed?"

"No promises." The Doctor said with a shrug.

Clara rolled her eyes but allowed the remark. This was a different Doctor with different quirks and she'd simply have to get used to them as they went along for the ride.

"So what happens now?" Clara asked.

"Now, we escape." The Doctor said.

It was at that moment that Clara realized that one of the Doctor's hands had vanished within the restraints. With an odd clicking sound, the restraints fell off his hands. He quickly caught them before they clanged to the floor. Clara was about to cry out in surprise when the Doctor clamped a hand over her mouth. He held a finger to his lips as he tilted his head towards the sensitive walls with the trigger happy guard on the other end. Clara glared at the Doctor but conceded to not make a peep. After somehow confirming this as he looked at her eyes, the Doctor removed his hand from her mouth so that both could work on her restraints. She was free in a matter of seconds.

"How did you do that?" Clara said as she remembered to whisper.

"The same way I know the colour of kidneys and heartbeats," the Doctor said. "I see things, Clara, a very curious thing. While most simply see, I choose to observe the little things most don't. Colors, energy, and sound help me notice those odd quirks that enable me to do some curious things. I have a feeling it's going to be very helpful in next few minutes."

"What makes you say that?" Clara asked nervously, she didn't like the look of worry on his face.

"Because a few more heartbeats just went out. It seems something has come along to scavenge the scavengers. It would prudent to not be in a confined space once they realize I'm on board. Haven't you wondered why I didn't mention my chosen name once since we were on board?"

It suddenly dawned on Clara that he hadn't. So the other name was a ruse, his original name was still a mystery. He always addressed himself as the Doctor.

What could be dangerous enough to scare the Doctor into lying?

Clara had a feeling they were about to find out.


	6. A Worthy Hunt

"Captain we lost another." A crew hand said to Dreg in the command room of Scarab VIII.

"That's nine now," Dreg muttered. "What's going on?"

He had been called in on the sudden loss of crew members which forced him to shut down the failed attempt to open the box of a ship until the situation was resolved. However, the problem was proving to be more aggravating than even the ship. Luckily the monitors monitored what was happening otherwise they'd be completely lost.

Dreg had salvaged heart monitors which were in working order and had the entire crew wired so he could keep an eye on his crew. He had sent out a strike crew to neutralize whatever was attacking the crew. It was strange, if this was a simple attack the monitors would instantly go critical but this was different. They faded out slowly, like going to sleep forever. There were few things in the universe that could do that and Dreg didn't know who that was.

"Sir," the crew hand said. "The trackers found a survivor, it's Riley."

"First good news of the day," Dreg said. "Bring him, I want to know what's happening."

The order was sent and the trackers brought in a wounded Riley, covered in blood.

"What's his status?" Dreg said.

_"Alive and well."_

Something was wrong, the voice came from Riley but it wasn't Riley's. The worst was that this information registered too little too late.

The fake Riley thrust his fingers into the sides of the all the trackers. They howled and stumbled to the ground in shock. Dreg and his crew reached for their guns while the false Riley reached for the belts of the trackers. He pulled out two grey egg-shaped objects from their belts.

Dreg's face went pale.

The false Riley winked before he pulled the pins on the grey egg-shaped objects. He tossed them into the air and they went off with a blinding flash like a second sun. It was too intense and despite Dreg's best efforts he blacked out after only a few seconds.

"Wakey, Wakey…"

Dreg woke up to having the fake Riley tapping him on the forehead. He tried to slug the creep but found his hands bounds behind his chair. He eyed the rest of the room and saw the rest of people in the control room were the same.

"It's lucky for you that I'm full, for now," the fake Riley said as he flexed his fingers. "Don't fret, I won't do it too quickly. After all, waltzing about this place, picking off your people, I've become very curious as to what you're up to."

"We're scavengers, what more do you need?" Dreg growled.

"I suppose I'm curious about your prisoners," the fake Riley shrugged. "Heard a few of your crew mutter about the new arrivals before… bad things happened."

"What about them?"

"Curiosity will keep me interested in the story, I might even choose to not have a snack so quickly."

Dreg stomached his fear and anger as he eyed the rest of the crew. They were a bunch of lowlifes by most standards but they were still his crew, his responsibility. He'd never wish them harm. Besides, keeping this _thing_ busy might give Nadine a chance to help, she wasn't on the bridge which meant she was at least listening in.

"What do you want to know?"

"Very good," the fake Riley said as he patted the side of Dreg's face. "See how much easier things get when we compromise. Well, I guess I'd like to know their names and what they look like. Just so I'm not confused later on."

"An old man and a young girl, he says she's his granddaughter."

"And their names?"

"Never got the girl's name, but the old man called himself Foreman. I. M. Foreman."

This caused the fake Riley to actually open his eyes in shock. He then leaned uncomfortably close to Dreg's face. A look of anger started to boil on his face.

"I. M. Foreman," the fake Riley said each word like it was poison. "That's how he introduced himself?"

"Yeah, that's right. Why?"

The fake Riley didn't answer immediately, he wrapped both hands around Dreg's face and clutched it intensely.

"The ship they arrived in," the fake Riley snarled. "_What did they arrive in?_"

"I don't know, it looks like a box. A big blue box."

The fake Riley's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their skull. He then jumped off of Dreg and shoved several others out of the way he reached a nearby console.

"Let's get a visual," fake Riley said. "I need to make sure this is actually happening."

He pressed several buttons on console and suddenly a big blue police box was shown on video screen. At first the fake Riley looked at it in terror, it truly was as the rumors said. But then a different emotion came to mind.

He started to laugh. A loud boisterous screech of a laugh that could only belong to the Devil on Christmas.

_"It is him." _The fake Riley said with murderous joy.

"Wait, you know this guy?" Dreg said. "Did you plan this?"

The fake Riley turned and gave a look that convinced Dreg just how stupid he was to ask that.

"You said he called himself, I. M. Foreman, yes?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because it's actually a very cute joke," the fake Riley said. "Foreman is the name of a circus performer, from Gallifrey."

Dreg had no clue what this creep was talking about.

"Only the Doctor would have the nerve to flaunt such titles around."

"That guys a Doctor," Dreg said. "Like a medical Doctor or something."

"Not for long," the fake Riley said. "I intend to expire him very soon."

"Hey, don't you mean 'retire'?"

"Not the way I plan to go about it," the fake Riley said as he flexed his fingers which produced several sharp talons on each fingertips. "Where are you keeping him?" His smile became more jagged at the thought of what was waiting for the Doctor.


	7. Nadine

"Well this is embarrassing." The Doctor muttered.

"What is?" Clara said.

"The situation has progressed for the worst," The Doctor said with a sigh. "We're being let go."

A moment later, a woman's brash voice commanded the guard to back off. The guard actually shuffled away, despite the fact that the angle of voice stated that the woman was shorter. The door opened to a very interestingly stern woman.

She had dark skin, short cropped black hair, emerald green eyes, and a build earned from living through and dishing out a good deal of Hell.

"My name's Nadine," the woman said. "Now let's not waste time. I want to know who you are, I.M. Foreman won't cut it, Doctor."

Clara almost leapt back, how did she know?

The Doctor was surprisingly calm, in fact he was smiling.

"You already know who I am, Nadine," he said. "I'm the Doctor, that's all there is and that's all you get. Now before we go about this whole situation, I'd like to know what's endangering the crew. Who got excited about meeting me?"

Nadine stood her ground, unfazed, but there was a spark in her eyes that convinced the Doctor that he was right. Neither wanted to publicly admit it, but the interesting thing was that they didn't need to. Now the only thing left was to settle the problem.

"No idea who he is," Nadine said. "Apparently looks like our medical man, Riley, which makes me assume the worst. Seems to suck the people dry, I saw one of the bodies to be sure. Five pricks in the neck seems to be its method of kill. Is that enough to go on, or am I prattling away while all my friends are getting murdered."

The Doctor eyed Nadine with curiosity. Despite the grime on body and clothes, there was a rugged brilliance. Not the kind to win awards for science or publish a book about the philosophies of life, but a special intelligence. The kind that could help tell you when danger I near, how to fight a foe you've never met, and how to keep alive when everything around you expects you to die.

It was the type of brilliance the Doctor admired above all others.

"I think we'll get along just fine, Nadine," the Doctor said. "And yes, I just figured out what we're dealing with. Interesting, I never thought I'd run into one again in such a place."

"Run into what?" Clara said.

"Doctor, I'm perfectly willing to shove you back in here and let that thing find you if you don't tell me exactly what that thing is and why it's here, besides for you." Nadine growled.

"Fair enough," The Doctor said. "It's a Plasmavore. Nadine you were right to assume your friends had been eaten, they had in a sense. This is a creature that drains the hemoglobin from its victim, the blood. It also takes on the nature of the creature it drains, and apparently the likeness due to the resemblance to Riley. Met one once, or one of my brothers did. Nasty bit of business in a hospital." The Doctor massaged his neck as he spoke.

"Right," Nadine said. "Well he has my captain and the whole bridge at his mercy. I assume there's a reason why I shouldn't just hand you over to the Plasmavore, an exchange to spare the crew?"

Clara realized that they were still in the cell with Nadine in the way, a pistol-like gun at her hip with her hand just above it.

"Besides the fact that you're too smart to think that the Plasmavore would bother to ignore a guaranteed meal?" The Doctor said. "How about the fact that you don't know why the creature wants me dead. I am the biggest threat compared to him, of that you can be certain. Of course whether you trust me or not shouldn't be your concern anymore."

Nadine was confused until she turned around to look at what the Doctor was pointing at. Three blue metal orbs floated down the hallway towards them. Security bots, Nadine realized, someone had activated the security bots. But why were they here if they had been designed to protect the ship, why weren't they attacking the Plasmavore?

That was when the truth kicked at her like a metal boot.

Riley had the codes that controlled the security bots.

The bots proved her suspicions as the orbs opened up as they produced several gun barrels that proceeded to fire rapid lasers. Nadine ducked the blasts as she fired back, cursing the special shielding around the bots.

"Move it!" Nadine shouted as she fired several more rounds and rushed down another hallway.

The Doctor and Clara quickly followed their new ally. The security bots flew after them firing as they went. They had to sway about in order to not get hit.

"Why are they trying to kill us?" Clara said. "Doesn't the psycho want us alive?"

"Stun shots," Nadine muttered. "Keeps people alive in case we get a person with a bounty."

"Perfect," The Doctor said as he pressed a button on a nearby wall.

One of the emergency doors shut right in front of him and behind Clara.

"No!" Clara screamed as she rushed over tried to open the door. "Doctor, what are you doing?"

"Keepin' my promise," the Doctor said through the wall. "Clara, go with Nadine, she's our best hope of getting out of this. Nadine, keep 'er safe. I'll be fine, Clara. Go NOW!"

Clara shook her head, refusing to budge. Nadine hooked her arm around Clara's waist and yanked her away. Despite being only a bit taller than Clara, Nadine had an impressive amount of strength which allowed her to haul Clara over her should with ease despite her kicking.

"Put me down!" Clara screamed. "He needs me!"

"The Plasmavore has Riley's memories, that's the only way he could control the security bots which means the door won't be up for long. That idiot of a Doctor is buying us time so I'll honor that by keeping you safe. Now you can both accept this and shut up or I can gag you, either way it's happening."

Clara decided to keep quiet, not wanting to find out what Nadine had on her to shut her up. She looked at the blast door helplessly. The Doctor had abandoned her again.

The Doctor listened until they were far down the hallway before he turned to look at the three security bots.

"So glad you lot could be patient with me," The Doctor said with arms outstretched in welcoming matter. "Well, we don't have all bloody day. Get on with it."

The bots complied as they fired.


	8. A Doctor meets A Leech

The Doctor stirred, he had no clear idea where he was but assumed it was someplace very bad since he couldn't move his arms or legs. He looked around and saw that he had been placed on a medical bed, limbs securely fastened to straps as well as straps that held him to the slab even when the bed was tilted so he was looking the fake Riley right in the eyes.

"Hello, Doctor." The fake Riley said.

"Do mind if I call you Mr. Leech, fake Riley's too much of a mouthful."

The Plasmavore narrowed his eyes, annoyed that the Doctor didn't even have the nerve to talk to him. Then he thought about and then smiled.

"Mr. Leech…" the Plasmavore said with a crooked smile. "I like that. Thank you, Doctor, it's been awhile since I had a proper name. It's a shame I can't do anything as kind."

"Right, what with wanting to kill me." The Doctor said.

"Exactly," Mr. Leech said with a pat on the Doctor's shoulder, fingers pointed away from the flesh. "I'm glad we're on the same page."

"Yes, but you still hold most of the script," the Doctor pointed out. "So before we go on with this tale of murder, I'd like to know in what way I have offended you. I'm a busy man with many enemies and simply can't keep track of all the threats against my life."

Mr. Leech locked eyes with the Doctor. There wasn't an ounce of fear in the Time Lord. He was smart enough to know there was no way out of this and yet he was still as steady as the legends said. The Plasmavore did his best to hide a tremor going through him at the thought of being alone in a room with _the_ Doctor.

"Very well," Mr. Leech said. "I can explain exactly why I want you to die. I even brought pictures."

Mr. Leech pulled out a small digital device with a screen. The device flashed to life, displaying an old woman's face. The Doctor narrowed his eyes at the picture.

"She looks familiar." The Doctor muttered.

"She should," Mr. Leech said. "She's the Plasmavore you helped to kill in a hospital back in 2007."

The Doctor's neck itched from the bad memory.

"It wasn't me who killed 'er." The Doctor said. "It was the Judoon."

"Those intergalactic brutes for hire might been the ones to incinerate her, but we both know she was only identified because of some human girl after my sister was careless enough to drink your blood. Of course, you looked different."

He clicked the button and a familiar face appeared on the screen. A younger face with spikey brown hair and eyes cast in deep sorrow. This was one of the better men to wear the name Doctor. The current Doctor smirked at the picture, wishing his 'brother' could have had an easier time with the mantle. Of course his time with the name hasn't been a cake walk. His mind surprisingly almost missed a key word from Mr. Leech.

"Sister," the Doctor said. "She was your sister."

"Yes and I her brother," Mr. Leech said. "Now personally, we both have tried our hand at doing the other one in, sibling rivalry. However, that does not mean I am unfamiliar to familial responsibility. This dictates that I must finish what my sister failed to. But what I didn't expect was finding you so… vulnerable."

The Doctor felt a chill through his hearts. Mr. Leech leaned in to get a clear look at the man's eyes. He could see it, faint but it was clear as day, a gold yellow energy, regenerative energy.

"Time Lord regeneration was one of the many subjects I studied by following your past lives' exploits." Mr. Leech grinned. "But this seems so much more potent, so many new lives. I wonder what that would taste like?"

Mr. Leech's fingers produced talons. He then inched them towards the Doctor's face.

"Immortality, right at my fingertips."

The talons were inches from stabbing into the Doctor's face. Terror should have been on his face. Mr. Leech was simply excited until he noticed something interesting.

The Doctor was smiling.

Mr. Leech was less confused when a barrel of a laser pistol was pointed at the side of his head.

"You know what, I think I understand that feeling of holding someone's life at the tip of a finger quite well." Nadine said as her finger gripped the trigger of the pistol. "Why don't you put that hand somewhere else, away from the Doctor."

Mr. Leech tried to look Nadine in the eye but she was out of reach. He then looked at the Doctor, his eyes burned for an explanation. The Doctor, being generous, tilted his head down towards his left hand. A small glowing device was shown in his left palm when he opened his fingers.

"We keep tracking devices in the manacles to keep an eye on our prisoners, if there's a chance of escape we can find them. How did you find it?" Nadine asked.

"One of the first things I looked for," the Doctor said. "It's a big ship after all, I figured you had to have more of a contingency than a lone guard. You're too clever for anything less."

Nadine gave the Doctor a small smirk of satisfaction.

"Clara, take my knife," Nadine said as she used her other hand to pull a blade from her belt. "Cut him loose."

Clara grabbed the knife, glad that this was almost over.

"What do we do about him?" Clara said as she cut the binding holding the Doctor's left wrist.

"Nothing," Mr. Leech snarled. _"You don't get the privilege of being my end!"_

The talons on Mr. Leech's left and right hand came out. He slashed Nadine's gun away in seconds and rushed in to stab her throat. Nadine was quick but Mr. Leech was faster, his hand would reach her in a matter of seconds.

The Doctor dropped the tracking device and grabbed the Plasmavore's hand before he could stab Nadine at the wrist. He shifted his grip and something snapped inside Mr. Leech's hand. The talons retracted while he howled in pain.

"Clara, right binding, cut it!" The Doctor shouted.

Clara did as she was commanded and the Doctor managed to grab the Plasmavore's other hand at the wrist right before the talons would have stabbed into one of two hearts. He performed the same quick snapping maneuver on Mr. Leech's remaining hand. The Plasmavore staggered backwards, looking at his hands in terror at the fact that no matter how much he clenched his fingers no talons came up.

_"What did you do!?"_ Mr. Leech screeched.

"I used my eyes," The Doctor said as he was able to step free of the bed thanks to Clara. "While you only saw Time Lord energy while looking into me, I was looking into you. All the different things that help make a Plasmavore tick. I decided to opt for the maneuver that'd rob you of your main means of feeding. You can't hurt anyone anymore."

Mr. Leech looked at the Doctor in renewed anger. He no longer thought of his sister's death or the need to feed. He simply fixated on the nightmarish being that stood before him, deadlier than 1,000 starving Plasmavores. How could something like the Doctor be allowed to exist in the same universe as the rest of us monsters, Mr. Leech thought, it wasn't fair.

There was only one thing left to do in such circumstances.

Mr. Leech reached behind his back while he walked backwards.

"You know, in all my research on the chance that I'd get the opportunity to kill you Doctor, I actually forgot just how clever you are." Mr. Leech said nervously.

"Don't hold it against yourself," the Doctor said. "Happens to the worst of them."

"Oh, I don't," Mr. Leech growled. "Which is why I made one last precaution."

He pulled out one final device. A green cylinder. Nadine's heart skipped a beat when she recognized it. She thought Dreg had thrown it away, he should have because now they were all dead.

"Don't!" Nadine screamed.

It was too late though, Mr. Leech had pressed the button. The whole of Scarab VIII lurched as all the lights flickered violently. Nadine roared as she ran over to her pistol and fired at the Plasmavore. Mr. Leech rushed out of the room, the shots missed him by a few inches.

Nadine was about to charge after him but the Doctor held up a hand.

"Plasmavores can see in the dark," the Doctor said. "You don't have that kind of luxury. You're better off staying alive than getting revenge."

"You don't understand," Nadine said. "We're all dead already."

The Doctor and Clara were confused until Nadine stomped over to the window in the corner of the room. The two explorers understood her terror when they saw what was outside that window. There was a sun, a burning blood red orb that colored the emptiness of space in shades of crimson.

"The device that psycho pressed was basically a kill switch for ships," Nadine muttered. "It disables everything from the weapons, the escape pods, and the gravity which is why we are now being pulled towards that sun. Heat shields are down, not that it'd matter once we get close enough." She leaned against the window, eyeing her demise with anger.

"I never thought I go out this way," Nadine said with a grimace. "It's almost embarrassing since I swore I'd at least get off this bucket of a scrapheap before I die. Not going to happen now…" she slammed her fist against the window.

The Doctor put a hand on her bruised knuckles. Nadine turned to look at the Doctor. She didn't look at him as a friend or her salvation. But she didn't deny the anger in his eyes.

A man that angry is capable of a lot things when pushed.

Nadine actually felt sorry for Mr. Leech.

Because now the Doctor was angry, and even he didn't know just what he could be capable of in those terrible moments.

Mr. Leech however was about to find out.


	9. The Promise of the Tardis

The Doctor stormed over to the bridge. Nadine and Clara walked cautiously behind, keeping an eye out for the security bots. Their walk to the bridge was undisturbed.

"I don't get it," Clara said. "Why aren't there any robots trying to keep us out?"

"Because the one person who can stop this ship from crashing is using all of them as a barricade." Nadine said. "Probably had all them set to kill. We'd never make it through alive."

"But why are we heading for the bridge?" Clara said.

"This is Dreg's ship," the Doctor said. "If we want anything done, we might as well get the Captain's permission."

The door to the bridge was locked. He preferred working with the screwdriver but he actually enjoyed being more hand's on with the machinery. It helped to center his mind, to make what needed to be done a lot clearer for him. Helping everyone on the bridge simply made sure he knew why he did what he did.

"Anyone call for a Doctor?" He said as the door opened.

Dreg didn't know if there was a moment in his life that he felt so confused about what was going on. Nadine standing by the Doctor's side at least convinced him he was on their side. Considering the alternative being the creature that looked like a dear friend of his. Helping free his friends and somehow resuscitate his tracking team through well placed hands restarting their bodies was a good start.

"I suppose I owe you, Doctor." Dreg muttered as he rubbed his sore wrists.

"Not just yet, Captain," The Doctor explained. "I need to save your ship which means I need to get into mine."

Dreg led them back to the Tardis, still untouched from the smugglers attempts to get inside.

"You better have something that can save our skins," Dreg said before he looked down at the Doctor. "You're going to have to figure out how to get inside, any suggestions?"

"The key in my right shoe for one," The Doctor said. "But this is a tad quicker."

The raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The door to the Tardis opened in front of them. Dreg gawked at the bizarre simplicity of opening the door while the Doctor strolled inside. Who was his guy, being the only sensible thought in the Dreg's mind.

The Doctor looked about the Tardis. It had been a few hours, the process should have been completed. He looked at the console and right on time a cylinder shaped tool protruded from the center of the Tardis. A new sonic screwdriver, a technical wonder of innovative defense for someone not seeking to directly maim or kill which mentally and biologically linked to the Doctor. He paused to marvel how they were three of a kind: the Doctor, the screwdriver, and the Tardis that carried both wherever they were needed.

It was time to truly fulfill that mission yet again.

The Doctor strolled out of the Tardis, shutting it again with a snap of his fingers. Dreg watched him charge down the hallway then eyed the Tardis. He snapped his grimy fingers but nothing happened. He contemplated testing that 'key in the right shoe' idea but decided it might be in poor taste to rob his rescuer. So with a mild shrug, the grand smuggler did the unthinkable and decided to leave a treasure with its rightful owner.

The Doctor rejoined Clara and Nadine on the Bridge with the other crew members who were gearing up to face Mr. Leech's defenses. They all stopped what they were doing when the Doctor and Dreg arrived. The Doctor simply had to look around the room to convince the crew that violence would not be necessary.

"I need every blast-shield you can gather, I'll be the one to take care of this." The Doctor explained.

"My crew deserves justice, Doctor," Dreg snarled. "You have no right to take that from us by killing the creature."

The Doctor turned a portion of his anger on the captain which stopped any matter of rage in Dreg instantly.

"Justice is one of the cheapest excuses for killing there is, Captain." The Doctor said. "You tell yourself it's justified once, twice, and eventually you'll look back and have nothing but corpses as your legacy, no different than that Plasmavore besides the motivation."

The Doctor didn't like to show his regret, the lives taken and lives lost in his adventures. It was enough to rob people of their souls if he delved deep enough. He held back though which allowed Dreg to stomach it enough to ask a question.

"If it's so tragic, why are you going off to possibly do it yourself?"

"Simple," the Doctor said. "A thousand years helped me to live with a lot of things. Things I hope you never have to see, any of you. So please stay out of my way as I go about it once again."

Dreg didn't agree completely with what the Doctor said, but he at least could respect the man's experience as a guarantee that things would not end badly, not while the Doctor was here. The last thing the Doctor did before charging into battle was to talk with his companions.

"Well, you looked ready for war." Clara said as she eyed the Doctor's body being covered in blast shield devices.

"Screwdriver and everything." The Doctor said as he displayed the new device.

"Wait, when did you make a new sonic screwdriver?"

"I didn't," The Doctor said. "The Tardis did. Found the one that broke and moved it about until it was in the right place to be fixed up."

Clara contemplated the fact that apparently the Tardis had the ability to move objects. That might explain that one incident with the Eleventh Doctor when she had brought luggage only for it to find its way in deep orbit while traveling, she missed that pair of underwear of hers but all her luggage had 'coincidently' found its way to a nearby black hole.

"Doctor, you're not actually going to try to kill him are you?" Clara asked.

"Well he's certainly not working to have survivors and lives are on the line, Clara."

"You're better than that," Clara said. "You're too clever to simply kill your way through problems."

"And sometimes clever isn't enough, Clara," the Doctor said bitterly but looked at her downcast eyes and added, "I'll do my best to be clever though."

That at least made her smile.

Nadine wasn't troubled at the thought of killing, but she could tell the Doctor had something else to discuss.

"You're wasting your time," Nadine said. "I've been around enough to know you do what you must to get by. No other way out here."

The Doctor leaned in so that they were looking eye to eye.

"That kind of talking is the very reason we have time, Nadine," the Doctor said. "I want to know why you chose to travel this way. Why travel the stars?"

Nadine was confused, it wasn't the kind of question you heard people ask out in the abyss of space. Since they were an hour from death's door, Nadine found herself admitting to something she had almost forgotten.

"I grew up on a hunk of dirt where the stars were the only worthwhile thing around," Nadine said. "Seeing ships float along like it was all some kind of ocean, free for all and owned by no one. I guess I just wanted to be part of that ocean, free."

"No shame in that," the Doctor said with a smile. "Nothing wrong with that at all."

Nadine eyed the Doctor, confused by the smile and spark in his eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Nadine asked.

"I'll let you know once I've saved us all," the Doctor said. "But here's something to keep your mind occupied. I have the means for you to join that ocean still, if you're interested."

With that the Doctor left. The fear of destruction did not trouble him. Especially since he had just gotten the promise of hope that only the Tardis could give.


	10. How to stop a Leech

The Doctor rarely enjoyed these moments where things had to get difficult. He worked to avoid violence when possible. The results rarely sat well with his enemies let alone himself.

Still, lives on the line from something that didn't belong there.

More than enough to make the Doctor take a stand.

A wall of security bots rained a violent storm of laser fire down upon the Doctor. The shields on his body molded a barrier around him like a second skin. Every shot bounced off the shields which made the Doctor look like he walked through fire. He narrowed his eyes at the security bots and swiveled the setting on the sonic screwdriver before he pressed the button.

He had waited out the laser fire so he could recognize the frequency they all ran on. The bots plopped to the ground, completely fried. He carefully stepped over the metal carcasses as he made his way to the puppeteer who pulled the strings.

Mr. Leech had his back to the Doctor, looking at the approaching the sun through a small observatory window in a storage room where he had holed himself up. He didn't even turn around when the Doctor entered the room.

"Death comes for all, Doctor," Mr. Leech said. "Don't expect me to beg."

"I'd never allow it." The Doctor said. "No one deserves such a disgrace near the end. Of course it doesn't need to be the end if you'd be kind enough to surrender that little toy there and save some lives."

Mr. Leech still had his back to the Doctor as he looked at the device. His faded reflection in the window held a crooked smile on his face.

"My sister burned alone, Doctor, unmemorable," Mr. Leech said. "Even if it is in my final moments, I will know that I have taken some people with me. Go on back to your Tardis, Doctor. I will not change my mind."

The Doctor stood where he was looking at the Plasmavore. His eyes did not burn with rage. Instead they were full of pity.

"My eyes help me to see many things, Mr. Leech."

"Ah, yes, your _brilliant_ eyes. Capable of seeing how to neutralize the security bots, rob me of my talons."

"I saw something else when we first met," the Doctor said. "Desperation."

Mr. Leech's smile vanished.

"It's been awhile since I studied Plasmavore physiology but if I recall a certain section about your life expectancy. You feed for sport in the beginning but then the feeding is the only thing keeping you alive."

Mr. Leech turned around, glaring at the Doctor.

"How long do you have?" the Doctor said.

Mr. Leech's rage subsided. The mask was peeled away to show the desperation only the Doctor was allowed to see.

"It… varies on how often I feed," Mr. Leech. "At this point, in Earth's timeline, I have less than three months before my body completely fails and I'm a lump of dried up flesh on the surface of the cosmos. A lot of us don't have the strength to face becoming a lump of skin and dust, I certainly don't."

He looked at the device, gazing at a different button that would sabotage the air on the vessel. He had eyed that button for an hour but just couldn't muster the courage. The way the Doctor looked at him, however, eyes full of sympathy, as though he were _pathetic_, that was all he needed to follow through.

Unfortunately for Mr. Leech, that look of certainty was what the Doctor needed as well.

"Tell me, Mr. Leech," the Doctor said as he eyed the ceiling. "Has it crossed your mind why this vessel was anywhere near a sun? Or why these blasts shields are primarily designed to block _heat_?"

That caused Mr. Leech to pause.

"Isn't it obvious," the Doctor said as he pointed his sonic screwdriver at the ceiling with a grin. "This was salvaged from a Fire Control ship crafted on Solarinel III, designed to suppress fire both outside and inside." He pressed a button on the sonic screwdriver as he spoke.

Coolants sprayed down from the ceiling on both men. The shields on the Doctor's body blocked the icy mist from touching his flesh. Mr. Leech wasn't as lucky. When the mist cleared with another push of the sonic screwdriver, the situation was settled.

Mr. Leech was frozen in agony.

"Plasmavores depend on the flow of blood to keep functioning more than any other creature," the Doctor said as he walked over to the chilled monster. "The cold slows your blood flow and makes your entire body as stiff as a statue. Not enough to kill but certainly enough to keep you prisoner in your own flesh until the Shadow Proclamation can arrange your fate."

The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at the device and deactivated the kill switch. Scarab VIII lurched to life. Dreg and his crew would move them away from the sun. Mr. Leech expressed his rage and fear mostly through his eyes since the rest of him was completely immobile.

"I think you might find yourself wishing for that fate of being a lump of skin and dust far sooner than it may ever come."

The Doctor turned and left the room, his goal accomplished.

There was nothing more to be gained by dealing with leeches.


	11. Epilogue: To Join The Stars

The Scarab VIII floated through space, peaceful despite all the horrors that occurred within it. Nadine watched the stars that shined indifferently in the distance. She didn't need to turn her head to see him come in.

"Why didn't you destroy him?" Nadine said. "Is it because you're scared you'll end up worse than him if you do?"

"No," the Doctor said. "It's because showing mercy to the worst of them makes me better, not for their sake but mine. Your friends will be avenged, Mr. Leech will never hurt another soul."

Nadine turned to look at him. She was grateful, but there also a sense that it wasn't enough. They both knew this was hollow victory, no more lost but also no more gained, however it also seemed to be one they could at least agree on for now.

The two made their way back to the Tardis, now being scrubbed and mended from the slight scratches Dreg and his crew caused. Clara supervised the repairs, enjoying a sense of authority. The Doctor and Nadine arrived just as they finished, the Tardis looked as fantastic as ever in the Time Lord's eyes.

"Care to take a look inside?" the Doctor said.

"You trust a cutthroat smuggler on board an unknown vessel?" Nadine asked with grin.

The Doctor arched an eyebrow as he looked at her while he snapped his finger. Nadine jumped when the door finally opened, she did not wish to admit that she was among the party who tried to break their way inside the ship. However, the look in the Doctor's bizarre eyes convinced her that he already knew and had forgiven her. There seemed to be a look of concern though, as if he worried that the ship might not be as forgiving.

Nadine actually hoped the Doctor's blessing was enough to secure safe passage.

Once inside, all sense of uncertainty left her completely. She was inside a massive ship with walls that towered even above the size of the very ship she had just left. Everything was sleek, bright colored, and hummed with untold levels of power. The source of all this chaotic potential was a console in the center of the main room, she could actually see _corridors_: the ship was even _bigger!_ There was a console with strange buttons, switches, and dials that she could only hope to comprehend after living at least over a hundred years. In the center was a power source that rose and fell rapidly like a clear glass heart of light. Nadine realized that it was this heart which enabled this vessel to be so impossible, to be bigger on the inside, and who knows what else.

But she knew one man who did.

One man with a big grin on his face as he watched her inspect his vessel.

"What kind of ship is this?" Nadine said. She had never felt so small in her entire life.

"A Tardis," the Doctor explained. "It stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space. That is what this ship is capable of. With it, the ocean that is space is endless for us. We can travel every planet, every star, at any point in history. Absolute freedom, that's what she is."

The Tardis hummed happily at the Doctor's words.

Nadine struggled to comprehend the possibilities of what, or more importantly where this ship was capable of going, but her legs almost buckled from the shock. She managed to get her legs again when Nadine realized that this was not meant to intimidate her. Nadine looked at the Doctor balancing between finding him almost impossible with what he promised and how she was slightly desperate to know this was in fact the truth.

"This is what you meant," Nadine said. "You'd actually let me go traveling with you, in this."

"Everywhere there ever was, any time, that is what I offer yes."

"Something like this comes with a catch," Nadine said. "Nothing this big comes without rules."

"Naturally."

Nadine nodded as she eyed the interior of the Tardis, trying to comprehend what dark secret were hidden within. A man like the Doctor always had something worth hiding.

"Alright," Nadine asked. "What are the rules?"

"Relatively simple," the Doctor said with a grin. "You will tell no one you're from another world or time, you will not steal or attempt to alter things even if it is to stop a disaster, and there may be danger which will force you to run. You will follow my lead but never hesitate to stand by your own beliefs. Stand by me and you will face things that will question existence as you know it."

Nadine nodded.

"Alright," Nadine said. "So why would I ever agree to so much?"

The Doctor looked at Nadine with a grin.

"Clara," the Doctor shouted. "Would you care to come into the Tardis for a moment?"

Clara walked in, no questions asked. Nadine wasn't too surprised, the other girl seemed used to being at the Doctor's call. What she didn't expect was when Clara shut the door. Nadine was about to turn and ask why Clara did that until the whole Tardis lurched forward. The crystal structure in the middle hummed to life as the ship rocked about. It stopped after less than a minute.

Nadine Clara and the Doctor, not sure which to be angrier at. Clara ignored the agitated expression on Nadine's face and opened the door again. Nadine's rage vanished as she got a peek of what was just outside the Tardis. The Doctor tapped several buttons on the console, making the air shield expand. Nadine barely noticed while she walked over to the door. Clara stepped aside so that the smuggler could get an even better view.

Nadine was out among the stars, no conflict, no monsters, and nothing besides her grip on the Tardis to keep her from tumbling out. It was absolutely beautiful. To be up among the stars, to feel like she was one with them, it was absolute heaven. A tear from the sensation came down her cheek.

She looked down and was stunned to see the Scarab VIII, so very small, beneath them. In fact, everything seemed so small compared her and the Tardis. The Doctor was wise not to explain the reward. Nadine filled in the blanks: if she followed his rules, she would be able to see and be a part of the whole of the universe in way she could barely dream. All of time and space, the makings of dreams and nightmares beyond her deepest imagination, just a step out of the door.

Before Nadine made the biggest decision of her life, she had a request of her own.

"This is a time machine, right?" Nadine said. "How about taking me back to the Scarab, a second after we left?"

The Doctor nodded as he quickly flipped a switch and Clara shut the door. It was so easy for them, Nadine realized, this would take some getting used to.

True to her request, Nadine left the Tardis and the look the crew's face told her that it had been at least a second. Dreg was the first one to step forward, he alternated his gaze from Nadine to the Tardis which carried an even greater level of danger in his eyes.

"What just happened?" Dreg asked.

Nadine wanted to explain, but realized that there was bigger reason not to. She remembered Mr. Leech. Telling Dreg or anyone about the Tardis would attract enemies just like Mr. Leech or worse, who would probably kill her friends and colleagues for answers or just to anger the Doctor. She kept them safe with her silence.

At least she was clever enough to think of something to say.

"I'm going with him," Nadine said. "I'm going to go traveling with the Doctor."

"For how long?" Dreg asked.

"I'm not sure," Nadine said with a shrug. "All I know is that I'm going to do my best to see where it takes me. I promise that I'll make sure I come back."

Dreg looked at Nadine, he was still her captain despite this possible journey. They had never had much of a personal or professional bond. It was more of a kinship, two like-minded souls who each wished to go their way as best as possible. The only question was if Dreg could actually see them drifting apart. Neither of them knew the Doctor, and it was hard to tell where they might be… whenever they might meet again.

How do you say goodbye to someone who you may knowingly never see again?

Dreg seemed to have the answer.

He gripped her shoulders, firmly, as he looked her in the eyes.

"This isn't goodbye," Dreg said. "This is just you taking a bit of a trip. A vacation even, people are expected to come back from vacations eventually."

Nadine nodded, not sure if she could agree on that belief.

"More importantly, you don't have to worry about a thing," Dreg said. "We'll never forget you, not for an instant. Whenever you come back, my ship will be waiting. You're too smart not to find your way home eventually. Now go have a nice trip, Captain orders." He grinned as he said the words even though his eyes showed a tinge of regret.

Nadine hated leaving Dreg feeling as he did, but knew it would be a bigger dishonor to not follow through on her dreams especially when it was difficult for a friend to say goodbye.

"Until we meet again, Captain." Nadine said.

She thanked herself for having the strength to turn and enter the Tardis.

Dreg and his crew watched as it vanished. A blue box that faded from existence. Dreg's crewmates looked at each other, wondering what they were seeing, only to look back and have no shred of proof the box was ever there. Dreg was the only one who watched it vanish, a bitter on his face.

"Travel far, Nadine," Dreg said with a sigh once other crew members left to get back to their business elsewhere in the ship. "Come back home when you're ready. I'll be waiting."

Dreg then bowed and turned to get back to being a Captain. He memorized the exact spot he had seen the Doctor's ship. He would visit that spot regularly, out of a self-made routine.

Waiting for a big blue box to arrive and bring his friend home.


End file.
